After a short rest, Li Dazhu, Li Zhiming, Li Zhihao, and Li Menglan ate some of the flatbreads Zhang Yuniang had prepared. After a simple tidying up, they set off along the winding mountain path toward the interior of Crooked Neck Mountain.
As they walked, the sights Li Menglan saw with her eyes made her sigh endlessly in her heart. *Sigh... The scenery in this forest simply can't be compared to the slopes and woodlands outside at all.*
The deeper Li Dazhu and his sons went into the mountains, the more rugged and difficult the road became, and the dimmer the light grew. Fortunately, the sky was already fully bright; otherwise, they truly wouldn't have been able to see where to go. Along both sides of the path were trees and flowers that Li Menglan had never seen and couldn't name... along with some wild fruits she didn't recognize at all, red and glistening and tempting enough to make one's mouth water, though she had no idea if they were edible.
In the undergrowth alongside the road, a foraging wild rabbit would occasionally dart out. At times like these, Li Dazhu, Li Zhiming, and Li Zhihao would unstring the bows from their waists and loose an arrow. Though they didn't hit their mark every time, there was always the odd instance of a blind cat catching a dead mouse. By the time they had traveled this way for a while, their gains were not insignificant—they had bagged two pheasants and three rabbits. It looked like the Li family would be able to eat quite well tonight.
Li Menglan asked curiously, "Dad, didn't you and Eldest Brother say there was very little prey on this mountain and that it was hard to catch?" She glanced pointedly at the game hanging from her father's waist.
"Mm... even Dad doesn't know." Li Dazhu gave an honest, silly smile, scratching his head in puzzlement, his face equally baffled.
Li Zhihao couldn't resist teasing, "Dad, I think it must be because of Little Sister." Li Zhihao was only two years older than Li Menglan, and the two siblings usually got along very well.
"Because of me?" Li Menglan was stunned, her eyes widening as she looked curiously at her second brother.
"Second Son, explain yourself." Li Dazhu was also left scratching his head by his son's words.
"Hehe... probably because the Mountain God of Crooked Neck Mountain knows it's Little Sister's first time entering the mountain, so he's sending a greeting gift for our sister." Li Zhihao said with a cheerful grin.
"Pah, what nonsense are you spouting, you brat?" Li Dazhu stretched out his thick, large hand and casually cuffed Li Zhihao on the head.
Li Zhihao touched his head with a grievance. "Dad, why did you hit me for no reason?"
Li Zhiming, on the other hand, thoughtfully glanced at Li Menglan, who was picking wildflowers with a leisurely air off to the side. "Dad, no matter what you say, today's good fortune might really have been brought by Little Sister." Ever since Li Menglan had undergone such obvious changes, Li Zhiming had grown more and more fond of this younger sister of his.
Li Zhiming's words caused Li Dazhu to fall silent. Perhaps what his eldest son said made quite a bit of sense. Think about it—he and his two sons had entered and exited Crooked Neck Mountain no less than a hundred times. When had they ever had a day like today... where they had gained so much bounty immediately after entering the mountain?
Li Menglan, meanwhile, rolled her eyes in boredom. The minds of ancient people really were absurdly superstitious. The father and sons chatted and laughed as they walked, unwittingly going further and further. By the time Li Dazhu came back to his senses, they were already very... very... deep within Crooked Neck Mountain.
Li Dazhu and his son Li Zhiming had never come to this deep part of Crooked Neck Mountain before. As for Li Zhihao and Li Menglan, there was even less need to mention them—today was Li Menglan's very first time, like a maiden climbing onto the bridal sedan for the first time. Compared to Li Menglan, Li Zhihao wasn't much better off; at most, he had wandered near the mountain's edge a few times!
The mountain paths were rugged and hard to distinguish; one wrong step could easily lead to getting lost. Fortunately, Li Dazhu and his sons often hunted in the mountains and were not unfamiliar with this terrain. Moreover, Li Menglan had left markers she made along the way, so the group quickly climbed up the northern peak of Crooked Neck Mountain.
"Huh..." Li Menglan suddenly cried out in shock, staring blankly ahead not far away.
In a shady spot, there were a few oddly shaped large boulders, and upon them grew a chestnut tree covered with prickly burrs large and small. It was currently chestnut season; some of the nuts had even fallen to the ground, their burrs splitting open on their own.
Li Menglan was overjoyed. She rushed forward in a few steps, but because she was too short, she had to stand on tiptoe and stretch out her arms, wanting to pick those chestnut burrs.
"Little Sister, what are you doing? Be careful!" Li Menglan's actions happened to be seen by Li Zhiming, who turned his head and shouted sharply, his face turning ashen.
"Eldest Brother, what are you doing? You scared me to death!" Li Zhiming's shout startled the unprepared Li Menglan, and she nearly fell flat on her face.
"That's what Big Brother should be asking you." Li Zhiming's face was frighteningly dark. "Little Sister, do you know what that is? That's a hedgehog tree, and what hangs on it are hedgehog fruits. That thing does nothing but prick people, and it isn't edible. What are you going to pick it for? Be careful not to prick your hands—don't come crying to me later!" Li Zhiming pointed at the chestnut tree, his face stern.
Uh... what? Li Menglan was shocked by Li Zhiming's words. Chestnuts were a good thing—especially sugar-roasted chestnuts in winter, fragrant and sweet and especially delicious. Just thinking about it made one swallow uncontrollably. But now... someone was actually saying chestnuts couldn't be eaten? Li Menglan felt her brain cells were insufficient. Help!
"Eldest Brother, are you saying..." Li Menglan asked hesitantly, "that this is called a hedgehog tree, and what grows on it are hedgehog fruits?"
"That's right!" Li Zhiming nodded. "This thing pricks people and isn't edible. Everyone in Yunliang Country knows that."
"Eldest Brother, you mean... no one in Yunliang Country knows it can be eaten?" Li Menglan swallowed, wanting to confirm the meaning of Li Zhiming's words.
"Lass Lan, who told you hedgehog fruits can be eaten?" It was Li Dazhu, drawn over by the conversation between the two siblings.
Li Zhihao also nodded like a pestle pounding garlic. "Little Sister, if you're hungry, Second Brother still has half a flatbread here. Let me pad your stomach first. Those hedgehog fruits really can't be eaten—don't go picking them." Li Zhihao carefully pulled out half a black flatbread from inside his clothes and held it out in front of Li Menglan.
"Second Brother." Li Menglan glared at her second brother with a mix of anger and coyness. Hah... good heavens. In this second brother's eyes, was she nothing but a glutton?
Li Menglan patiently explained, "Dad, Eldest Brother, Second Brother, you're all wrong. This hedgehog fruit is actually called a chestnut. It's not only incredibly delicious, but when you're hungry, it can also fill your stomach like a meal."
Naturally, Li Dazhu and his sons didn't believe Li Menglan's words. No one in Yunliang Country had ever heard of anyone eating hedgehog fruits. But unable to withstand Li Menglan's撒娇 and acting cute, the Li men had no choice but to compromise... ah, just treat it as indulging their daughter/sister to make her happy. Wasn't it just picking a few hedgehog fruits?